April has finally arrived and things have begun to heat up here at Clemson University. The sun is shining, the seniors are sliding, and students lay out all over campus to soak up the rays. When the weather gets warmer, plenty of opportunities pop up for students to enjoy themselves, and the student favorite: Y Beach. Clemson likes to call this hangout spot the “Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Center,” but almost every student on campus knows it as Y Beach. Every day that the sun is out and the temperature rises above 65, you can count on students flocking to Y Beach.
Y Beach always has plenty of options to keep students busy, such as laying out, throwing the football, playing Spikeball, and playing volleyball in the sand court. If you want to get in the lake, plenty of the lake is accessible for swimming, and paddleboards and kayaks are available for students to borrow. Students can rent kayaks for free and paddleboards only cost $5. Sure, these great options exist, but students love the beach for another reason; most would agree that the dogs constantly running around Y Beach help make it one of the most popular hang-out spots. People rarely leash their dogs at the beach, so plenty of lovable four-legged fur balls always run up to greet you when you arrive. Really, what could anyone enjoy more than a day in the sun surrounded by dogs?
The water sports team, rowing team and sailing club also all claim Y Beach as one of their main locations. If you love being on the water, plenty of opportunities arise to join one of these teams or clubs, or just to relax and watch them practice as they zoom by.
Y Beach in the past has stored all of the outdoor equipment used for rock climbing, camping, and other various outdoor activities, but, unfortunately, much of it burned up in the recent fire. Clemson has, however, already begun replacing much of this equipment and has plans in place to build a new storage facility. Also, brand new beautiful intramural fields just opened for recreational play, organized games, and tournaments.
Some students refuse to go to Y Beach, claiming that: “it’s boring,” or “too crowded and overrated,” or “just not that fun,” but these students fail to realize what a gem we have in Y Beach. What other college has free lake access just a few minutes from campus? Many refer to Clemson as “Auburn with a lake.” This shows how the lake alone can identify Clemson and gives our university its character (and one of the many reasons it’s better than Auburn). Sadly, Clemson, despite being in South Carolina, forces students to drive four hours to reach the closest coast, so it isn’t practical for students to just hop on over to the beach for a weekend. But… If you go lay by the lake and close your eyes, you won’t even know the difference.
This weekend, when you’re bored with catching up on sleep and homework and you can’t find any worthwhile “darties” , just grab a friend and hop (or drive) on over to Y Beach to enjoy one of the best things Clemson has to offer by spending a day in the sun and sand.
